It started in 1972 when I was stationed in Wildflecken Germany as an Army soldier. There was not a lot to do in the High Rhon Mountains of Germany so I spent most of my off hours at the local craft shop. It is there where I found leather crafting as a hobby then business. My soldier friends started asking to buy custom made leather projects and soon I realized I was making more money on the side than my military pay. This extra money became the seed funds for my marriage in 1973 to Peggy.
After our marriage we were both working minimum wage jobs and struggling to get along. Peggy’s sisters were in High School and I started making and selling stuff to them and their friends. This escalated into my purchasing a lot of supplies from the local craft shop. They also sold finished leather goods and had a couple of leather craftsman working in the shop. They asked me if I would join them and I did.
After about a year I learned their business plan. Craft shows and flea markets were their outlets for the work generated by us in the shop. I took this same plan and ventured out on my own. We bought a van and fixed it up so we could live in it as we travelled and also carry our display and inventory. This whole experience taught us many things about ourselves and challenged us to learn many new skills; setting up a business, tax ID, taxes, accounting, cashflow, planning, resource allocation, time management, and others. After approximately 6 years we were able to buy our first house and start having a family. It was great. We travelled together everywhere and life was good.
Our faith in God was our foundation and we trusted God’s provision if we did our part He would do His part. There were several very difficult trails during these years but our faith grew because of them.
